(Hopefully) The Last Airbender

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Last Airbender
  • IMDb: link

For his latest disaster movie writer/director M. Night Shyamalan adapts the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Remember when he gave us great films (Sixth Sense, Unbreakable) filled with tension, plots which sucked you in, strong characters, and great performances? Don’t expect any of those things here.

Although it boasts its share of unintentionally funny moments, The Last Airbender isn’t even bad in a fun way. It’s tedious, head-scratching, amateurish, poorly conceived and even less ably enacted on screen. This concept, and its combination of martial arts, philosophy, and fantasy, might work in 20 minute animated segments but it doesn’t translate well to a live-action feature-length film.

The story involves four nations each based off of one the four elements (easily color coded for the slower viewers). Some of each tribe have the ability to control, or bend, the element of their tribe. How rare a gift, and how easy an ability it is to use, varies wildly throughout the film.

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Coming Soon

/ / Film News & Trailers
  • Title: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
  • IMDB: link

Seems Warner Bros. is raising the stakes with the final Harry Potter book, broken into two films, or at least that’s what their marketing department would have you believe. Trumpeting Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I as “The Motion Picture Event of a Generation” may be just a wee bit much, but I’ll let you watch for yourselves. Harry’s final journey begins on November 19th with Part I’s release. Part II is set to follow next summer.

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Power Girl #13

/ / Comics
  • Title: Power Girl #13
  • Comic Vine: link
  • Writer:Judd Winick
  • Artist:Sam Basri

power-girl-13-coverPower Girl is a character that takes a bit of love to do right. She’s far from the most interesting DC character, often being pigeonholed as the “other” Supergirl, the lost girl, or the spunky sexpot, but there is a character in there worth exploring. I’ve stayed away from this series since the first issue which I found largely forgettable. But this new direction has me intrigued.

Issue #13 brings in the new team of Judd Winick and artist Sam Basri. Both are good choices. First, Basri’s art shows off the character without making you feel like a perv. And Winick immediately ties in the series to the current Maxwell Lord storyline from Justice League: Generation Lost to add to the daily confusion and craziness that Power Girl must handle.

Wait, am I talking about the plot of a Power Girl comic? Holey Moley! Aside from the Lord arc we also get some genuinely funny moments of Power Girl out of costume like the one above (there are so many good panels in this issue it was hard for me to choose which one to use).

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Power Girl #13 Read More »

Green Arrow #1

/ / Comics

green-arrow-1-coverI don’t know whether to giggle or groan. Green Arrow has always been a thinly-veiled modern day Robin Hood, but I guess the veil is gone completely now.

Oliver Queen is living in the forest (but still wearing his costume and mask), forever exiled from Star City, taking down any baddies who come his way, robbing the rich to feed the poor (I’m not making this up). Then you have this panel promising some Merry Men to help him out.

Had the entire issue been more lighthearted and campy this new path for our hero may have been easier to swallow. Instead the series seems to be stubbornly stuck on the path laid down for the character in the best-forgotten (and never, ever, mentioned again) Cry for Justice mini-series. I can’t help wonder if writer J.T. Krul is having a good laugh at all of our expense.

[DC $3.99]

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Detective Comics #866

/ / Comics

detective-comics-866-coverHave I mentioned how happy I am to have Batman back in Detective Comics? Although the story itself is only so-so I like how Dennis O’Neil gives us a case that’s been bothering Dick Grayson since he first put on his Robin booties, and one he can now finally close as Batman.

Plus I love the flashback art from Dustin Nguyen. I’m even willing to forgive the mistake of Batman’s costume not fitting the period (Batman hadn’t yet added the oval when Robin first hit the streets).

Throw in Robin’s first encounter with the Joker and I’m pretty happy. Definitely worth a look.

[DC $3.99]

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